Gwen Govan BA, COUNSELLING DIPLOMA, MBACP (Snr Accred)

About me

My name is Gwen Govan and I have been a counsellor since 1994.

In 2003 I achieved accreditation with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, (B.A.C.P) one of the leading therapy organisations in the U.K. In 2009 I became a senior accredited counsellor and am listed on their professional website. Their policy on ethical standards guides my practice including the requirement for me to receive regular supervision.

I offer both Counselling which tends to be more focused and time limited and Psychotherapy which is open ended and more rooted in the past.

I would describe myself as a psychodynamic counsellor. I am particularly interested in your past experiences, especially those shaped in childhood. It is often possible to discern a particular pattern in the way each of us manages our different relationships. This sometimes gets played out within the counselling itself, thus providing important clues in helping to understand your emotional world. I would also combine a variety of knowledge and theories to respond to the unique set of problems each individual brings for counselling help. The goal of therapy as a whole and each session in particular is to enable you to face and better manage your pain and emotional suffering without resorting to avoidance strategies or inappropriate acting out.

The first appointment will be an assessment to determine: - Your suitability for this type of therapy. - Whether we can work together. - To begin to determine a central focus of the therapyTherefore I begin by looking at the current issues which have prompted you to seek out therapy at this time.

Counselling will hopefully be stimulating, challenging and freeing. It is, however, essentially about change and recognising that changes can sometimes be painful and unsettling and require patience and practice.It's also about knowing that you're not in this alone. Maybe for a time, you need a place to rest, receive and be nurtured but this is only ever a stopgap. The goal of counselling is always to lead you towards healthier relationships and emotional independence.

In addition to the above formal qualifications, I regularly attend training workshops and keep up to date with relevant reading to maintain my senior accreditation status.Experience

I qualified as a counsellor in 1994 and my training was primarily psychodynamic and relationship based. Since 2001 I have worked as an NHS counsellor in GP surgeries and community centres. My clients are adults of varying ages who bring a wide range of emotional issues, including problematical relationships, childhood abuse, loss, bereavement, depression and anxiety.Before training as a counsellor, I was employed in social care, working with families. Supporting families through the loss of their baby or in managing their child's disability has been the catalyst for my obtaining a professional counselling qualification in the early 1990's.More recently, however, I have been drawn towards Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy in my counselling practice. While recognising the significance of early childhood attachments, it focuses on current difficulties and its impact on the therapeutic relationship. In particular it tracks significant relationship patterns within these three domains which can also be helpful in shorter term therapy.